Kathleen Evans Healed by Prayers to Mother Mary MacKillop

Photograph from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mother Mary's miracle survivor opens up

The following article is written by ADAM BENNETT from The Sydney Morning Herald:

Miracle cancer survivor Kathleen Evans says she has no idea why she was touched by Mother Mary MacKillop, and probably won't know until she finally gets "upstairs".

The NSW woman, whose dramatic recovery from lung cancer was confirmed as Mother Mary's second miracle, has described herself as an ordinary churchgoer.

Surrounded by a throng of reporters at Sydney's Mary MacKillop Chapel, the 66-year-old said she was just an average mother-of-five and grandmother to 20, who just happened to be touched by the rebel nun.

Mrs Evans' identity had remained a secret until Monday, when she spoke publicly for the first time about her miracle cure.

In 1993, then aged 49, Mrs Evans was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, which was soon found to have spread and caused a secondary cancer on her brain.

The former smoker refused radiotherapy treatment and was given just months to live by doctors.

But with constant prayers to Mother Mary from family and the local parish, and wearing a relic containing a piece of the soon-to-be saint's clothing, she recovered from the disease.

"Wow" was down-to-earth Mrs Evans' reaction when doctors first told her the cancer had disappeared.

"When he (the doctor) was so excited the first question I asked him was, 'had it shrunk', and he said 'no, it's gone'," said Mrs Evans, who was flanked by husband Barry, daughter Annette and son Luke at Monday's press conference.

"Once he told me it was gone that was it. I've never looked back and thought I might have cancer again, or it might come back."

"I won't get cancer. I'll die of a heart attack," she joked.

In December last year, Pope Benedict XVI confirmed her recovery as Mother Mary's second miracle, paving the way for the canonisation to make her Australia's first saint.

Her first miracle, the curing of a woman who had leukaemia in 1961, was accepted by the Vatican in 1993.

Mrs Evans, who hails from the Hunter region, said that after years of anonymity she was overwhelmed by all the attention she was now getting.

"I'm not one to be on my knees all the time. I'm just an ordinary person," Mrs Evans said of her faith.

"If I miss a Mass, I don't think I'm going to go to hell or anything like that."

Mrs Evans said she didn't know why she had been saved.

"When I finally do get upstairs, it will be the first question I ask," she said.

Mrs Evans said she had felt a presence in her Windale home during her fight with cancer.

She still wears the relic - "it's on my bra" - and still felt the presence of Mother Mary in her life.

"I have many, many times felt Mary MacKillop's presence," she said.

"I do feel her presence. I do feel that she is with me. I feel she is praying for me.

"I talk to her as if she is a person. It's like when you lose someone in your family and you still talk to that person."

Mrs Evans said she felt privileged to be part of Mary MacKillop's canonisation.

She hopes to travel to Rome for the ceremony, expected later in the year.

"It makes me very humble," she said.

"Australia's first saint - it's pretty big."

Mary MacKillop died in 1909 at the age of 67, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995 after her first miracle was decreed.

She fought many battles with the Catholic Church when establishing the Sisters of St Joseph, and the dozens of schools they created for less fortunate children - earning her a reputation as a rebel nun.

Julie Papievis: To Heaven and Back

Julie Papievis: To Heaven and Back - CBN

The inspiring story of Julie Papievis and her miraculous recovery from a car accident that caused a serious brain stem injury is a wonderful reflection of God working through the power of prayer.  The initial brain scan showed no brain activity while she was hospitalized.  Her family and church joined together and prayed for a miracle.

The treating neurosurgen, Dr. John Shea, did not expect her to wake up and gave her only a 4% chance of surviving the injuries.

Julie was in a coma for 6 weeks; however, before awakening, she was given a glimpse of heaven.  Dr. Shea said it was a miraculous event that she survived and recovered from the brain stem injury.

To hear Julie's story, please view the inspirational video produced by the Christian Broadcasting Network.

What does scripture say about prayer?  Jesus said in Mark 11:24, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Please don't underestimate the power of prayer, especially when circumstances appear to be hopeless.   Jesus said in Matthew 18:19-20, "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

God is a performer of miracles, "So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help."
-Hebrews 4:16

Christian-Miracles.com

Visitors Come to Tucson Home to Pray for Miracles

Believers come to her home for a miracle - Los Angeles Times

The following excerpt is from an article written by Nicole Santa Cruz from the Los Angeles Times:

Reporting from Tucson - For decades, the faithful say, a 1-foot-tall crucifix has been granting the wishes of people in need.

By the thousands, people have come to pray at El Señor de los Milagros -- Lord of the Miracles -- a shrine on the side of a one-story stucco home in a working-class Mexican American neighborhood in Tucson. People have come from as far away as Germany to worship at the shrine, but most visitors come from Arizona and Mexico.

The carved wood sculpture, encased in glass, has been in the Romo family for five generations, said owner Pauline Romo.

The crucifix, which made its way to Tucson from Spain, is sacred in Tucson's Catholic community. In appreciation, people have built and maintained the shrine for Romo. From the beige tile on the floor, to the decorative ironwork painted black and gold, to the black leather benches for people to sit and pray, each component of the patio-like chapel was built by people who said God answered their prayers.

Southern Arizona is dotted with shrines. Often found in front yards or on the side of the road, many consist of just a cross or statue, sometimes decorated elaborately with flowers and candles. Such shrines are part of standard Mexican Catholic practice and are usually statements of thanks, said Jim Griffith, a retired folklorist who lives in Tucson.

Romo's more elaborate shrine is the site of weekly Masses and draws thousands of yearly visitors, many of whom park in the unpaved lot next to Romo's house. The shrine, Griffith said, is a "focus point for people to come and ask for help."

Romo, 84, is something of a Tucson legend. Her family has lived in the area since 1806. The spunky auburn-haired woman served as a rodeo queen in 1947, and designed jewelry at an elegant downtown shop.

Her shrine began as a result of what she calls a personal miracle.

In the 1970s, Romo was on her lunch break downtown eating a piece of pineapple pie when she started throwing up blood. The pie was laden with ground glass -- later traced to a factory accident -- and Romo's insides were torn up. Five doctors told her she wouldn't survive.

In the hospital, Romo pleaded with her mother to give her the statue. "Give him to me," she recalled saying. "And I will show him to the world."

About 200 stitches and a plastic esophagus later, Romo opened the shrine on the side of her home.

Word of the shrine spread, and people began to visit Romo's side yard to kneel before the crucifix and pray.

Mass is said there each Thursday evening. Quinceañeras and weddings have occurred there, and Romo said she sometimes doesn't even notice.

But what she does notice are the stories of miracles people have shared with her over the years.

There was the 3-year-old girl from Mexico who was shot in the mouth and had a bullet lodged in the back of her head. Now that child is 30, with a baby of her own. Her father bricked the floor of the shine in thanks.

"Listen, who lives that gets shot in the mouth?" Romo said. "Tell me. Come on, that's a miracle."

Gesturing around the shrine in the crisp desert wind, Romo said she welcomes everyone, regardless of religious affiliation.

"I don't care how you worship him," she said.

On the left side of the shrine is a blue notebook with a black spine where people write their wishes and prayers.

In Spanish and English, people write for relief from physical ailments or anxiety, or for happiness for their family. Some wishes span multiple pages; others are simply a sentence long.

On Dec. 23, someone wrote, "Please, please, please, heal my knees."

"I don't have to prove what the Lord does," Romo said. Minutes earlier, she had visited with a woman, congratulating her in Spanish. The woman had come to the shrine in the past to ask for help as she pursued a career in nursing. On this day she told Romo that, although she had struggled with the training, she had achieved her dream.

"I see that all the time," Romo said. "Cancer cured, you name it."

One recent afternoon, the gravel crunched as Rosario Lopez's green truck approached the chapel at the end of Melwood Avenue. In dusty blue jeans, tan work boots and a light brown embroidered work shirt, Lopez, 51, went through a chain-link fence to reach the shrine.

The carpenter knelt on a black-padded bench and lowered his head in prayer. In front of him, red and white candles decorated the tile floor, along with vivid red poinsettias. For about 10 minutes, while Lopez prayed, the only sound was the chirping of birds.

Every day for about eight months, Lopez has visited the shrine after work. He's prayed for his own faith and also for his mother's health.

Coming to the chapel has inspired Lopez to become a better Catholic, he says: He now regularly attends Sunday Mass. He's also receiving religious instruction as he prepares to marry his girlfriend of 33 years.

"It really changed me," Lopez said, tears welling in his eyes after his daily prayer.

A Prayer of Divine Protection: Psalm 91

An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. - Luke 22:43

Psalm 91

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

They say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

 Surely he will save you

from the fowler's snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, "The LORD is my refuge,"

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

 no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

"Because they love me," says the LORD, "I will rescue them;

I will protect them, for they acknowledge my name.

They will call on me, and I will answer them;

I will be with them in trouble,

I will deliver them and honor them.

With long life I will satisfy them

and show them my salvation."

Visit the following link for a selection of Devotional Prayers.

If you examine the photograph closely, sunlight is creating a beautiful and interesting reflection of Jesus on the right side of the window.

The stained glass window was photographed inside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. The Catholic church is located in Boonton, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Prayer of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

(Pray for nine days)

O my Jesus, you have said:

"Truly I say to you,

ask and you will receive,

seek and you will find,

knock and it will be opened to you."

Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...

(State your intention here.)

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be to the Father...

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

I place all my trust in you.

--

O my Jesus, you have said:

"Truly I say to you,

if you ask anything of the Father in my name,

he will give it to you."

Behold, in your name,

I ask the Father for the grace of...

(State your intention here.)

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be to the Father...

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

I place all my trust in you.

--

O my Jesus, you have said:

"Truly I say to you,

heaven and earth will pass away

but my words will not pass away."

Encouraged by your infallible words

I now ask for the grace of...

(State your intention here.)

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be to the Father...

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

I place all my trust in you.

--

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,

for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted,

have pity on us miserable sinners

and grant us the grace which we ask of you,

through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary,

your tender Mother and ours.

Recite the following prayers...

Hail, Holy Queen...

St. Joseph,

foster father of Jesus,

pray for us.

--

Visit the following link for other Devotional Prayers

The statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was photographed inside St. Cecilia's Church. The Catholic church is located in Rockaway, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

Virgin Mary Appearing in Egypt

Numerous reports in various articles throughout the internet have claimed that the Virgin Mary is appearing at the Coptic Orthodox Church in El-Warraq, Cairo, Egypt. Is it a sign from God that Christians and Muslims should work together for a common cause? Is the claims of an apparition of the Virgin Mary a call for Christians and Muslims to live together in peace?

The Daily Star - Arts & Culture - Late nights in Egypt with the 'Virgin Mary'

The following excerpt is written by Agence France Presse from The Daily Star:

CAIRO: Every night in the run-up to Christmas, thousands of Egypt’s Coptic Christians have been gathering in a Cairo suburb eager for a glimpse of a vision that has given hope to their marginalized community.

It is three hours past midnight in Al-Warraq, a poor working class neighborhood, and a 10,000-strong crowd is silently staring at the sky. Then the appearance of a mysterious light over the church’s bell tower jolts the gathering into a frenzy of cries and ululations. They imagine it is an apparition of the Virgin Mary.

Thousands have been coming nightly since the first sighting of the Virgin Mary on December 10, in the hope of being blessed by her light. The prospect of benediction is being depicted as a much-needed morale boost for the Christian minority, which complains of systematic discrimination and marginalization.

Tea vendors and sweet sellers snake through the crowd where thousands of families have gathered with young children and babies.

“The first person to spot … the Virgin Mary was a Muslim neighbor,” said Father Fishay, a priest at the Warraq church. “He took a video and pictures and distributed them to everyone.”

Hassan, the Muslim neighbor in question, was sitting at his coffee shop at around 8:30 p.m. when he saw a strong light coming from the church. Others began to notice the light and saw a bird circling overhead. At around 2 a.m., Fishay said, a vision of the Virgin Mary appeared.

News of the apparition prompted hundreds to rush out with mobile phones to capture the momentous event. “It’s her, with her blue-and-white clothes,” enthused Rami, 36. “There is no doubt about it. It cannot be an illusion.”

“The church closes its doors in the evening,” said Fishay in his measured manner. “We were not there when the image appeared the first time, so we decided to come back the second night.”

Nabil, 32, his wife Mariam, 28, and their three children came from Shubra al-Kheima, some 20 kilometers away, to receive the Virgin’s blessings. “Her appearance means she approves of us and if she blesses us,” Mariam opined. “We will stay ’til morning.”

Her husband said the sighting proves that Christianity is still alive. He is angry over the recent publication of an article in a periodical of Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, Sunni Islam’s highest seat of learning, questioning the foundations of Christianity. “The apparition of the Virgin Mary,” he said, “means that Christianity is real and the Bible is real.”

Around 10 percent of the 80 million population, Egypt’s Christians complain they are kept out of jobs in the army, judiciary and universities.

“It is not possible to know the reason for the Virgin’s appearance,” Fishay said.

“Maybe it will end the state of tension between Muslims and Christians and an end to extremism. Maybe it’ll bring back forgiveness like there once used to be in Egypt.”